BALTIMORE, MD—Governor Larry Hogan has proclaimed May 8 as Maryland Provider Appreciation Day, as he recognized the exceptional efforts of all child care providers around the state, and called special attention to those serving children of essential personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing Provider Appreciation Day, Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon, saluted the efforts of child care providers saying, “I want to thank all of Maryland’s child care providers, especially those who have agreed to deliver services for those essential persons and first responders on the front lines combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize the financial and health risks you are taking to help stop the spread of the virus and save lives. Child care providers are the foundation of Maryland’s pandemic mitigation and recovery efforts, and we are grateful to you.”

On Friday, the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood (MSDE-DEC) and Maryland Public Television (MPT) released a video thanking Maryland’s child care providers and programs for their critical role in continuing to provide services to the state’s essential workers through the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Since the essential personnel child care program was established on March 30, MSDE’s early childhood team has worked together with 3,778 child care providers to provide care for 24,860 children across the State during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The Essential Personnel Child Care (EPCC) and Essential Personnel School Age (EPSA) programs ensure that the children of the State’s essential workers remain in licensed child care programs that support their healthy and safe development.

MPT and MSDE-DEC worked together to develop a video message of thanks to the state’s child care workforce who are themselves serving as an essential component of Maryland’s response to the COVID-19 state of emergency.

The thank you video will air on MPT, developed with the support of Maryland’s federal Preschool Development Grant B-5.